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2017-07-24 09:20:15

FB

Facebook

$164.43

-0.1 (-0.06%)

09:20

07/24/17

07/24

09:20

07/24/17

09:20

Facebook expected to have another strong quarter, says BofA/Merrill

BofA/Merrill analyst Justin Post expects Facebook to report Q2 upside to revenues and earnings based on positive ad checks, Online video sector strength, and Instagram momentum. The analyst sees potential pricing tailwinds driving upside and is optimistic on the second half given potential earnings revisions on pricing, Instagram, and messaging progress. Post highlights Facebook as a top pick and raised its price target to $180 from $170 based on messenger upside and reiterates a Buy rating.

MKM Partners analyst Rob Sanderson said anecdotes from ad agencies and partners suggest that strong trends in social media spending and allocation to Facebook have continued, leading him to believes that consensus forecasts for the company's upcoming Q2 report seem overly conservative. Sanderson reiterates a Buy rating and $180 price target on Facebook shares ahead of the Q2 report, which is scheduled for July 26.

Goldman analyst Heather Bellini said Facebook Q2 field checks were universally positive, suggesting the pace of innovation is accelerating on both the consumer product and the ad tech stack. The analyst said advertisers are achieving higher returns and expects increased video content from publishers and recent advertising on Messenger to driver higher CPMs, and higher available ad inventory overall, increasing her confidence in sustained revenue growth. Bellini raised CY17 earnings to $4.96, versus consensus of $4.85, and raised CY18 earnings to $5.88, versus consensus of $5.98. The analyst rates Facebook a Buy with a $180 price target.

07/19/17

NEED

07/19/17NO CHANGETarget $185NEEDBuy

Facebook price target raised to $185 from $165 at Needham

Needham analyst Laura Martin raised her price target for Facebook (FB) to $185 from $165 as user growth has outpaced her estimates and her channel checks indicate more robust advertising revenue growth than she previously projected, owing to more video ads, faster Instagram revenue growth, and lower competition from Snap (SNAP) than she had previously projected. The analyst now believes Facebook is "becoming the de facto near-monopoly mobile choice" for brands and direct response advertisers. Martin reiterates a Buy rating on Facebook's shares.

07/19/17

MOFT

07/19/17NO CHANGETarget $11MOFTSell

Snap still has room to fall, says MoffettNathanson

offettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson said Snap (SNAP) still has room to fall and sees two near-term catalysts that can push shares towards his $11 price target. Nathanson said its a "scary admission" by Snap that disappointing growth is due to seasonality and said its seems like an artful warning to take down estimates for Q3. Further, the analyst believes Snap's lock-up expiration on July 30 could drive a double digit sell-off, if you use Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR) histories as a guide. Nathanson rates Snap a Sell.

Snap Inc. (SNAP) is banning ads of initial coin offerings in its Snapchat app, Cheddar reports, citing a company spokesperson. The decision makes Snapchat the latest social media platform to prohibit advertisements for cryptocurrency ICOs, the report says. In contrast to Facebook (FB) and Google (GOOG), however, Snap's current block of ICOs has been in effect since early February and does not apply to different kinds of cryptocurrency ads, the report says. Reference Link

Airbus (EADSY) is mulling making a freighter version of its slow-selling A330neo widebody, spurred by requests from potential customers Amazon (AMZN) and UPS (UPS), Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter. The interest from Amazon and UPS could incite a competition between Airbus and rival Boeing (BA) as the worldwide air-cargo market rebounds from a slump, the report notes.

Facebook's chief information security officer, Alex Stamos, will leave the company after internal disagreements over how the social network should deal with its role in spreading disinformation, The New York Times reports, citing current and former employees briefed on the matter. Reference Link

Amazon has considered the possibility of expanding its retail footprint by acquiring some stores from bankrupt Toys 'R' Us, Bloomberg reports, citing people with knowledge of the situation. The e-commerce giant is not interested in maintaining the Toys 'R' Us brand, but has mulled using the soon-to-be-vacant stores for its own purposes, the report says. Reference Link

President Trump is readying to place a package of $60B in annual tariffs against China, following through on a long-time threat that he claims will punish China for IP infringement and create more jobs in the U.S., the Washington Post reports. The tariff package, which the president intends to unveil by the end of the week, was confirmed by four senior administration officials, the report notes. Senior aides has presented Trump with a $30B tariff package that would apply to a variety of products, but the president directed them to approximately double the amount of new trade levies, the report says. The package could be applied to over 100 products, which the president contends were made by using trade secrets that the Chinese stole from U.S. companies or forced them to hand over in exchange for market aces, the report says. Reference Link